David Bates

Anna Kiesenhofer defies many preconceptions about elite cyclists. The first time she remembers being competitive was not on the track or the road, but in a classroom at university in Vienna. She was not hot-housed in a junior programme, she does not trust coaches, and though she is Olympic road race…

For all his magnetism as a racer and as a personality, Tadej Pogacar casts a long shadow over this Tour de France. He is the strongest rider in the peloton and

Laurent Fignon had no problem with losing. To accept defeat was essential to becoming a champion; but to lose the Tour de France by eight seconds on the final d

There have been five British winners of the junior time trial at the UCI World Championships. Three now have Olympic gold medals, and if the other two — both victors in Australia on Tuesday — fail to do the same, it is unlikely to be for lack of talent.

By late September, Fred Wright had completed his long journey home. It had not been a straightforward trip. Since July, Wright had ridden the Tour de France and

As a teenager, racing on the tarmac track at Herne Hill Velodrome, Tom Gloag didn’t think himself much of a prospect. By any normal standards, he was more than

Two and a half weeks in the French sunshine, and still Tadej Pogacar looked pale. His shoulders rocked, his jaw sloped to his chest. He winced and watched his T

The Quai Louis XVII in Bordeaux is not perfectly flat but close to it. Mark Cavendish had won there before, in 2010, and for 200 metres on the seventh stage of this year’s Tour de France, it looked as though, aged 38, he would win there again.

The 37-year-old cyclist will target more grand tours next season but during his break, he tells David Bates, he enjoys switching off from the sport and letting himself go

It covers hundreds of miles but fine food, world-class bikes and an aristocratic guide make this intimate and exhilarating group cycling tour easy riding